It is time again for a look at what the Cake Slice Bakers have been up to this month. This time I chose to make The Farmer’s Daughter’s Cake from Maida Heatter’s Cakes. I wanted to make something simple and was intrigued that the cake had no butter, hence the name. Maida writes that she guesses “this recipe was perfected on a dairy farm where they had plenty of real heavy cream.”
I loved how simple this was to put together and I appreciated the small amount of cake it made. Sometimes a large cake is daunting and this has just 9 squares. It is wonderful to have when you want some cake but do not want to make a large one. The frosting is a quick-cooking chocolate icing that was thick and somehow beckoned to be doused with multiple sprinkle varieties.
Speaking of sprinkles – there is an ongoing joke between myself, my husband and sister in-law regarding my sprinkle collection. We have a very small kitchen and I have to get creative when storing things. My sister in-law stayed at our house a few months ago to watch our dogs and texted me saying I had a serious sprinkle problem, as they were in every cabinet she opened. They drive my husband crazy and he was thrilled that someone else agreed with my “problem”. Last week I was cleaning out kitchen cabinets, consolidating dishes I do not want or need and sent her a few pictures to see if she wanted anything. Her initial response, “Making room for more sprinkles?” and so the joke lives on!
Don’t forget to check out what the other Cake Slice Bakers chose to make this month:
Farmer’s Daughter’s Cake
Author: The Ruby Kitchen
Adapted from: Cakes by Maida Heatter
Ingredients for Cake
2 cups sifted, all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
¼ tsp. almond extract
1 cup sugar
1 cup heavy whipping cream (do not whip it)
Ingredients Chocolate Icing
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
½ cup cold milk
1½ sugar
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1. Adjust oven rack to the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Spray or butter and flour a 8x8x2 square cake pan and set aside.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat the eggs, vanilla and almond extracts and sugar. Then, on low speed, beat in the cream. Add the sifted dry ingredients and beat only until smooth. Pour into prepared pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out almost clean. (Maida’s instructions state to bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean but I found that this resulted in a dry cake.)
5. Remove from the oven and let stand for 5 minutes before loosening the sides with a knife. After 10 minutes remove the cake from the pan and allow to cool on a rack before transferring to a serving platter.
6. To make the icing place the chocolate, milk and sugar in a heavy, small saucepan over moderate heat. Stir until the chocolate is melted and sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside. In a small bowl beat the yolks lightly and gradually beat in the chocolate mixture.
7. Beat the icing with an electric mixer on high for 10-15 minutes until the mixture is smooth, shiny and thick. Gradually pour the frosting on the cake, being careful not to do it too quickly or it will all run off the sides. Allow it to set for a few hours to set.
The Ruby Kitchen 
I love all of your sprinkles, it is definitely not a problem! Your cake looks delicious!
Sprinkles are not the problem.. it’s negative sprinkle talk that is!! ahahaha!!! You can never have to many packets! I loved this cake and I am so glad you do too!! Looks so good all dressed up!
Your cakes always look especially good with all their sprinkles!
Looks like a party! Love that you have a sprinkle collection!
Your cake looks so fun with all those sprinkles! I love it!
The sprinkles you used for this cake brought it up Ten Notches! Great looking sprinkles! and cake, of course!
Sprinkles just simply liven up the cake! Who doesn’t love them! Now look how perfect they topped off that perfect little piece of cake!
What a beautiful cake, and I love the sprinkles on top too. It really is the perfect size, and I’m looking forward to making it soon.